Hooked on Rheum with John M. Davis, III, MD
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My father and grandfather were physicians in Kansas City, Missouri, where I grew up.
They were both internists. I grew up observing them and the practice of medicine, especially from my father, who trained in hematology and oncology. I had the opportunity to observe, firsthand, what they did.
In high school, I began to wonder if this was what I wanted to do with my life. During my undergraduate years at Northwestern University, I worked at a physical therapy clinic. I had some exposure to people with musculoskeletal diseases and complaints. I saw some patients with juvenile arthritis and some adults with inflammatory arthritis.
Also while studying at Northwestern, I took an immunology course with Susan Keen Pierce, PhD. I became fascinated by the immune system and immunology, along with the development of autoimmunity and inflammation. This generated interest in the scientific aspects of rheumatology.
During my undergrad, I did some research in a cell biology lab, but, ultimately, I realized that I wanted to make a more meaningful impact. I wanted to interact with people with chronic diseases.
When I went on to medical school at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, right away I gravitated to learning about rheumatic diseases.
This program was run using a problem-based curriculum. The first case we were presented with was a patient with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, or scleroderma. The patient came in to talk to us about dealing with a disfiguring skin disease, with tight, thick-looking skin and hand constrictures. This case left a big impression on me.
As I continued my studies, I grew to love reading a textbook about the distribution of joint involvement in gout, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, among other conditions. I always gravitated toward solving mysteries. I enjoyed looking at patterns, using characteristics and performing diagnostic tests to rule out certain conditions and increase the probability of others. My rheumatology attending physician, Sara E. Walker, MD, made an impact on me with her infectious enthusiasm. I also remembered my father and grandfather, and the internist’s elegant way of thinking, to reason through a differential diagnosis. I realized that all of this pushed me toward the field of rheumatology.
I ultimately gravitated toward internal medicine and matched at the Mayo Clinic. During internal medicine residency, I was assigned to faculty adviser and rheumatologist Steven R. Ytterberg, MD. During my fellowship, I developed a passion for research, making new discoveries and the challenge of translating new insights to benefit patients in the clinic from my mentors, Sherine E. Gabriel, MD, MSc, and Eric L. Matteson, MD, MPH. From that point, I never swayed from rheumatology to any meaningful degree.
I realized that I thrive in academic rheumatology with the opportunity to see patients of all ages and backgrounds, all races and ethnicities, to solve mystery cases and continue learning from my patients and colleagues.
John M. Davis, III, MD, MS
Practice Chair and Vice Chair, Division of Rheumatology
Enterprise Director, Rheumatology Specialty Council
Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota